Curriculum Elements, Levels, and Types: A Comprehensive Breakdown

Elements of the Curriculum

Objectives: These are the intentions and goals of a particular educational project. They define what we want to achieve with the educational activity.

Contents: These are the components of a given capacity that must be learned for the development of goals. They can be further broken down into:

• Conceptual Contents: The set of knowledge.
• Procedural Contents: The techniques, methods, strategies, etc.
• Attitudinal Contents: Habits, values, and attitudes.

Methodology: Specifies the most appropriate activities for which the contents are adequately learned and served.

Assessment: This refers to the control processes of teaching and learning. It must incorporate an analysis and assessment of the process that has led to these results.

Curricular Levels

1. Institutional Level

   It reflects the educational intentions of the system as well as psycho-educational principles that teachers will use as the foundation. Teachers are the arrangers of the educational reality for which they work.

2. Curriculum Level

   Its purpose is to meet the obligations in the objectives of each stage, consistent with educational goals.

3. Program Level

   It is the teaching-learning tool for achieving the capabilities provided by the curriculum in line with the educational purpose.

4. Teacher Lesson Plan Level

   Planning daily homework makes teacher intervention easier and allows you to organize teaching practices.

Types of Curriculum

Null Curriculum: These are curricula in which the possibilities for innovation and control by the teacher are very limited. The educational administration determines in detail the various objectives, contents, methods, etc. that teachers have to use. The teacher has no power to intervene, and their task is limited to simple application. They may not modify or adapt it.

Explicit Curriculum: These curricula leave it up to the center and teachers to create and adapt to the educational context from a first specific design. From a very general and comprehensive design done by the education authorities, teachers are responsible for adapting it to the circumstances and characteristics of each management center.

Hidden Curriculum: These are all the knowledge, messages, attitudes, postures, etc., which contain a series of messages that are transmitted to students along with the rest of the contents. Generally, this type of curriculum contains a number of positions or attitudes of people towards certain aspects of society and culture.

Bloom's Taxonomy

Knowledge: This refers to previously learned information. Recognizing and recalling information, dates, names, definitions, etc. in an approximate manner to how you have learned it.

Comprehension: Understanding what is learned. Demands interpreting the information received in your own words.

Application: Using what you have learned to solve problems. Applying the skills learned to new situations that are presented.

Analysis: Using the information that you get to develop different conclusions. Identifying reasons and causes, making deductions that approve its generalizations.

Synthesis: Creating something new or original by applying previous knowledge and skills.

Evaluation: Making judgments about the value of a product according to your own personal opinions from selected targets.